Princeton Tops Penn, Others on Best Colleges List

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US News & World Report has named Princeton University the best college in the United States, with the University of California-Berkeley the top public school at No. 20 overall.

The magazine's annual list, published Tuesday, said Harvard University was the No. 2 school in the country with Yale University rounding out the top three. The much-watched list ranks colleges based on selectivity, retention and graduation rates.

Columbia University earned the fourth spot, and Stanford University and the University of Chicago tied for fifth. A three-way tie for No. 7 gave Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania spots on the list.

California Institute of Technology and Dartmouth College tied for the 10th spot.

Penn State came in a tie with Case Western Reserve University at 37th, Lehigh tied for 41st and Rutgers tied for 69th on the list.

The list came out at the same time that the magazine looked at college costs. Princeton University students who borrowed to pay for their Ivy League education, left the New Jersey campus with $5,096 in debt for four years -- the lowest sum for alumni leaving a national university with debts. Among the 3-in-5 students who received need-based aid at Princeton, they were billed less than a third of the advertised pricetag.